The Moon is in for another interesting few nights, as it will appear to hop along the sky meeting Mars and Jupiter, bright springtime stars and a beautiful star cluster known as the Beehive.
This clear weather we're having at the beginning of May should hopefully mean clear skies for stargazing, and we're in for a treat as the Moon will be close to some of the best objects to see in the sky.
Here we'll reveal some of the highlights of the week and how you can see them easily with the naked eye or a pair of binoculars.
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On the evening of Wednesday 30 April, Jupiter will be visible just below and to the left of the Moon.
You can see the Moon and Jupiter in the western sky around 21:00 BST (20:00 UT), then follow them both as they head towards the northwestern horizon, setting around midnight.
You might also notice a star very close to the Moon, just above and to the right of it. That's Elnath, the 2nd brightest star in the constellation Taurus.
On the evening of 1 May, The Moon is now further north of Jupiter, but you can still see the Moon and Jupiter sharing the same region of the western sky around 21:00 BST (20:00 UT).
In fact, the Moon and Jupiter will be forming a neat triangle with Capella, one of the brightest stars in the night sky.
Capella is located in the constellation Auriga and is actually not one, but two stars.
The region around Capella is filled with stars, so it's well worth exploring with a telescope, if you have one.
On 2 May, the Moon forms another triangle, but this time with Castor and Pollux, the twin stars of Gemini.
Catch the three in the western sky around 21:30 BST (20:30 UT).
You may also notice that, since the Moon tracks eastward night after night, it's now getting closer and closer to the planet Mars, which is currently in the constellation Cancer.
Mars meets the Beehive Cluster in early May 2025, and if you swing a pair of binoculars over to Mars on 2 May, you'll see that it is indeed sitting very close to the Beehive, which is a beautiful star cluster.
Mars is high in the southwest around 21:00 BST (20:00 UT).
As the Moon continues to track eastwards each night, it will get closer to Mars and the Beehive, and on 3 May the Moon is right in the thick of it, forming a beautiful alignment with the Beehive Cluster and Mars.
If you're able to capture a photograph of this alignment – or 'massing', as it's sometimes called – it will look absolutely beautiful.
By 4 May, the Moon is now further to the left of Mars, forming an almost-straight line with Mars and star Regulus, the brightest star in the constellation Leo.
Get a good look at Regulus on the evening of 4 May, because on 5 May there will be something of a rare opportunity, and that's the chance to easily locate and observe a distant star during daytime.
On 5 May, if you look to the southeast around 19:00 BST (18:00 UT), you'll see the Moon high in the sky.
Regulus will be just below it, the Moon being great marker for locating the star on this date.
If you grab a pair of binoculars you should be able to make out Regulus and, if you do, well done!
You've just seen a star (other than our Sun) during daytime.
We should point out that, if you are observing the sky with binoculars during daytime, not to look at the Sun itself, as doing so could damage your eyesight.
If you don't manage to spot Regulus during daytime, try again around 22:00 BST (21:00 UT), when the pair will be in the southwest, and the sky will be much darker.
Regulus will still be just below the Moon, but will now be easier to see.
If you observe or photograph any of the events listed above, get in touch by emailing contactus@skyatnightmagazine.com
